Abstract:
The uncontrolled release of oil following the Deepwater Horizon blowout event in 2010 was the largest accidental release of petroleum and gas into the marine environment, at the deepest depth, with the greatest amount of dispersant added. The exact fate of the released oil is difficult to determine; estimates are that 35-60% reached the surface, about one third of the oil released is unaccounted for, some of which was deposited on the seafloor. I will provide an overview of what we know with respect to impact on marine fish, as well as changes in sediment chemistry.
A large amount of mucous-rich marine snow contaminated with oil formed in the surface waters and resulted in a massive sedimentation pulse. Decreased oxygen and a shoaled redoxcline following the event infer rapid oxidation of this labile organic carbon. A drastic reduction of foraminiferal abundance is coincident with reducing conditions, demonstrating the important consequences of changing redox conditions on benthic ecosystems. An overview of impacts on select deep fish and bottle nose dolphins will be presented.
Prof. Hasting’s brief CV:
David Hastings is a marine geochemist and chemical oceanographer at Eckerd College. Dr. Hastings graduated from Princeton University in chemistry, and received his Ph.D. in chemical oceanography from University of Washington.
He is part of two major research consortia to understand the impact of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. His most recent paper is the most downloaded paper in Deep Sea Research for the past five months. His other primary research interest is paleooceanography, with special interest in the deglacial warming and paleo-proxy development. This year he was selected as “Got Science” Champion by the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS-USA) for his outreach and education on climate change issues. This month he was awarded the 2015 Lloyd Chapin award for excellence in scholarship at Eckerd College.